Understanding the “beautiful fluidity” of the arts and cultural sector
The Guelph Emerging Artist Mentorship Project (GEAMP) is a joint initiative run by the Guelph Arts Council and the University of Guelph’s School of Fine Art and Music (SOFAM), with support from the RBC Emerging Artists Project. It aims to foster creative mentorships between emerging and established artists, and to provide emerging artists with opportunities to develop skills within the arts industry. GEAMP started in 2017, and has paired 48 emerging visual artists, musicians, and cultural managers based in Guelph with established arts and cultural professionals based in or near the city. In 2019, the GEAMP culminated in an exhibition, Win/Win, displayed in the Boarding House Gallery in Guelph from Nov. 15 to 30, which featured the colourful, multimedia artwork from Yulia Balobanova, Carolina Benitez, Heather Caruso, Elly Grant, Bree Leggett, and Claire Stewart, the six emerging artist who participated in the program. I was the SOFAM student coordinator for the GEAMP and the exhibition.
Win/Win was the result of countless hours of preparation, consultation, design, development, and execution. Working with Guelph Arts Council, I helped recruit emerging artists, match mentee applicants with potential mentors, and drafted social media profiles of project participants to promote the exhibition. I also helped to coordinate the installation of artworks, an opening and closing reception, and de-installation. During summer 2019, I had participated in the GEAMP as a mentee, but this coordinator role was a new and thought-provoking learning experience that helped me see all the behind-the-scenes aspects of community arts organizations and how they work in tandem with educational institutions to promote the arts and creativity. My role also helped me recognize the often-hidden elements of exhibitions — such as how to manage a budget, or gallery installation and safety procedures — that are exceptionally important but not often perceived upon first glance of an exhibition. For example, an exhibition’s labels and panels are written, proofread, and printed, but they must also be installed with accuracy and precision on the gallery walls to ensure they are level and perfectly spaced apart. This experience as the GEAMP project coordinator helped me recognize that curators not only work with artwork and objects, they also collaborate with people to bring communities together.
This project additionally helped me understand the beautiful fluidity of the arts and cultural sector — an artist can also be a curator, a researcher, an advocate for arts/culture in their community, a leader of an arts organization, or a local business owner who supports other artists. A career path in the arts is never linear; rather, it is dynamic, constantly moving, and forever-changing with new experiences and sources of inspiration.
Working with emerging artists and mentors, as well as the talented representatives from Guelph Arts Council and SOFAM, has helped me recognize the importance of being part of both formal and informal arts mentorship opportunities, and allowed me to feel connected and to make meaningful contributions to the local arts community. It has also made me understand the importance of becoming involved in opportunities that help artists to gain new skills, recognize their creative visions, build valuable professional connections, and participate in within the Guelph artistic community.